Counter-setting means



w. s. BRUBAKER ET Al. 2,058,056

GOUNTERSETTING MEANS v Filed Sept. 8, 1934 Patented Oct. 20, 1936 UNITED STATES 2,058,056 coman-SETTING MEANS Walter S. Brubaker and Armas J. Saarinen, San Francisco, Calif., asslgnors to Granberg Meter Corporation, San Francisco,J Calif., a corporation of California i Application September 8, 1934, Serial No. 743,285

Claims. (Cl. 23S-117) The invention relates to mechanisms including a counter having numeral wheels which are retrogradely driven from positions at which they jointly indicate a number, to zero positions, for a 5 predetermined purpose. One example of such a mechanism is an assemblage of liquid meter, liquid shut-off valve, and counter, in which assemblage the counter is set by hand to show the number of gallons which it is desired to dispense and is retrogradely driven by the meter during. the

dispensing operation, said counter serving toeffeet closing of said shut-off valve when all of the numeral wheels have been retrogradely driven to their zero positions.

Y. l5 It is the object of the invention to provide novel a counter including the novel resetting means.

l Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on line :.2-2 of Fig. 1. v.

Figs. 3 and 4 are transverse sectional views on lines 3-3 and 4-4 respectively of Figs. 1 and 2,

parts being broken away and the setting shaft shifted in Fig. 3 to more clearlyy show the co-action of one of the setting pawls and shoulders.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view through one of the numeral wheels on line 5 -5 of Fig. 4.

Figs/6 is a perspectiveview ,of parts of one of the numeral wheels showing more particularly the setting pawl thereof.

Fig. 7 is a sectional perspective of a portion of the setting shaft.

Fig. 8 is a detail side elevation showing a different means for holding the setting shaft in any of its operative positions.

A four-wheel counter is shown having a tenths wheel I0, a unit wheel Illa, a tens wheel IIlb, and

a hundreds wheel Ic but obviously. any desired number of wheels could be provided. The tenths wheel III is driven and all of the wheels are geared togetherfin the customary way so that one revolution of wheel I0 will turn wheel Ia one step, 56 ten steps or one complete revolution of wheel Illa Fig. 1 is anv elevation partly in section showing will turn wheel IIlb one step, and ten steps or one complete revolution of wheel I0b will turn wheel IIlc one step. In the present showing, one side of each numeral wheel is provided with a gear II so connected with the wheel that the latter may 5 be turned with respect tothe former to allow` setting of the wheel. The other side of each numeral wheel (except wheel Ille) isprovided with a twotoothI gear I2. The'gear II of wheel I0 meshes with a drive gear I3 which may be driven by other gearing I4, I5 from a meter-driven shaft I6 or may be wdriven in any other suitable way. The gears II of the wheels Ina, I 012/ and Hic all mesh with the usual transfer pinions I'I and these pinions are (zo-operable also with the two-tooth gears 15 I2 of the wheels I0, lila and IUb. The pinions I1 are all mounted rotatably on a stationary shaft i and after transferring motion from one wheel to the 'next serve in the usual way to lock the gear I I of the latter against rotation under other influ- Aence. All other parts of any wheel however, may 0 be turned bodily with respect to the gear II thereof, for setting the counter before driving the same, due to the connection provided between each wheel and its gear II. This connection in the present showing consists of two pawls, I9 held 25 in engagement with ratchet teeth 20 by means of a spring 2|. y

Each of the numeral wheels is provided with `a setting pawl 22 and all of said wheels are mounted upon a setting shaft 23, the latter being provided with setting shoulders 24, 24a, 24h and 24c for co-action with the pawls 22 of the wheels I0, Illa, |017 and IIlc respectively. 'I'he setting shaft 23 is normally stationary but is rotatably and slidably mounted in bearings 25 and`26 of the casing 2l, and said shaft is provided with a knob 28 by means of which it may be slid longitudinally tovarious positions and then rotated to individually set the numeral wheels. The shaft 23 may well normally occupy one of these positions as seen in Fig. 2, the setting shoulder pal `24e being then in position to engage the setting pawl 22 of the wheel Ille, when said shaft 23 is rotated in the proper direction, allowing said wheel IIlc to be so set that any desired numeral thereof may appear in the view opening 29 of the casing 21. The various setting shoulders are so p spaced that only one of said shoulders can cooperate with its respective setting pawl in one 50 position of the setting shaft 23 as will be clear from Fig. 2. In this view, the shoulder 24b is spaced from the pawl 22 of wheel 24h, the shoulder 24a is spaced twice as'far from the pawl 22 of wheel Illa and the shoulder 24 is spaced three 55 times as far from the pawl 22 of wheel Il. The shaft 23 may obviously be slid into such positionA 5 that shoulder 24h will coact with pawl 22 of wheel Inh, that shoulder 24a will cooperate with pawl. 22 of wheel Ilia or that shoulder 24 will co-act with pawl 22 of wheel i0., and thus the various wheels may be individually'set to show any de@ sired number in the view opening 29, preparing the counter for operation. During this operation, the wheels are retrogradely driven until iinally they all arrive at zero, at which time they perform the desired duty.

In the present showing, each numeral wheel carriesl a disk 3B having a peripheral notch Il. Mechanism-controlling fingers, such as 32 of Fig. 3, which fingers are rigidly connected with each` other, ride on the peripheral edges of the disks 20 until all of the notches 3| have beenaligned by driving the numeral wheels back to zero. At this time, the fingers 32 enter the notches 2| and. the movement of said fingers is utilized in a mam ner forming no part of the present invention, to perform desired work, for instance, cause closing of a liquid shut-oil valve associated with a meter driving the counter.

In Figs. l and 2 the setting shaft 22 isprovided with spaced circumferential grooves Il for co-` operation with an enclosed spring-pressed bali or detent 34 to hold said shaft in any of the positions in which it must be rotated to set the nul m'eral wheels. In Fig. 8, the hub 25a of the knob lals `28 is elongated and provided with grooves 23d and` engageable with said. setting members of said Wheels to show-setting oi said Wheels by rotating` said shaft, said setting eiements oi" said shaft being movable successively into cooperative rela for co-action with a spring finger or detent 24d Either of these structures or other appropriate means may be used and a suitable stop such as 23a may be employed to limit the outward sliding of the shaft 22.

Each of the numeral wheels may be of the specific construction shown. most parts of which can now be purchased upon the market. or may be constructed in lany other preferred manner. For the following description of the construction shown, see more particularly Figs. 5 and 6. In

these views. I5 denotes a hub to which a disk.

28 is secured, said disk carrying the ratchet teeth 20 which project laterally from it. Lying against 4 one side of the disk 3l is ay composition disk l1 having an annular iiange Il surrounding the teeth 20 and carrying the numerals. Lying against the disk 31 is a disk I! having a recess 4Il in which the pawl 22 and its spring 4I are located. The body 42 of the twoetooth gear I2l l lies against the disk 3l and retains the pawi 22 and spring 4I in the recess 4l. The disk Il abuts the body 42 and rivets 43 secure the parts Il, 21. Il; 42, and l0 together. The gearv Il surrounds one end of the hub 2l and carries the pawls il which engage the teeth 2li. From the wheel llc, the gear body 42 may be omitted as it is not necessary on the last wheel of the series. Prom the foregoing and the accom drawing. it will be seen that novel and advanf tageous provision' has been made for attaining the desired end.

While the features of construction disclosed may be followed if desired, variations may of course be made within the lcopeof the invention as claimed.

We claim:

l. In a mechanism of (the class described hav.-

l ing numeral wheels which may be individually rotated when setting them. said wheels having individual setting members; a rotatable and slici-l able setting shaft, upon which said' wheels are mounted, Jsaid shaft having longitudinally spaced letting elements equal innumber to said wheels .'l out of cooperative relation with all of tion. with said. setting members 01". said wheels by sliding said shaft stepmbyetep to diiferent positions, said setting elements oi said shaft being so spaced that when saidv shaft is slid to cooperatively reiate the setting element and member for any one wheel, the setting elements and members for the other wheels will not be cooperatively related. l

2. In a mechanism. in which numeral wheels are ges-red together and connected with their gearing by ratchets to allow turning of the wheels with respect to said gearing for setting the wheels, said wheels having individual setting members; a rotatable and. slidable setting shaft upon Winch. said Wheels are n'lounted, said shaft having longitudinally spaced setting elements equal in number to said wheels and engageable with, said setting members oir said Wheels to allow" setting said wheels by rotating said shaft, said` setting elements of said shaft being movable successiveiy into cooperative relation with said setting members Gi said Wheels by sliding said shaft stepwbyeteli to different sitions, said setting elements 'of said. shaft being so spaced that when said shaft is slid, to cooperatively' relate the setting element and member .for any one wheel, the setting` elements and members for the other wheels will not be cooperatively related.

3. In. a mechanism in which numeral Wheels are geared together and` are connected with" their gearing by' ratehets to allow' turning 'of the wheels with respect to said gearing for setting the" that when any shoulder is in operative relation lwith its respective pawl the other shoulders and tpawls are inoperatively related, whereby the wheelsv may be individually set, by rotating saidlshaft, to indicate any desired number.

4. In a mechanism of the class described having numeral wheels `which may be individually rotated when setting them, said wheels having individual setting pawis; a rotatable and slidabie setting shaft upon which said wheels are mounted. said shaft having longitudinally spaced settin shoulders equal in number to said wheels and engageable with said setting pawls to allow setting said wheels by rotating said shaft, said setting shoulders being movable successively into cooperative relation with said setting pawls by sliding said shaft step-by-step to different positions, said setting shoulders being so spaced that when said shaft is slid to cooperatively relate any one of said setting shoulders with the proper setting 'pawl, all ofthe other setting shoulders will be the other setting pawls. 5. In a mechanism in which numeral wheels are geared Ktogether and are connected withtheir gearing by, ratchets to allow turning of the wheels with respect to said gearing for setting the lv1heels,'said wheels having setting pawls; a ro- ,ossiouo 3 shoulders spaced apart along said shaft for coaction with said setting pawls to set said wheels', said shoulders being allotted one to each pawl and being so positioned that any shoulder may be operatively related with its respective pawl by sliding said shaft, the positioning of said shoulders being such that when any shoulder is in operative relation with its respective pawl the other shoulders and pawls are inoperativeiy related. whereby the wheels may be individually set. by rotating said shaft, to indicate any desired number.

'WALTER S. BRUBAKER.

ARMAS J. SAARINEN. 

